Hungary Blocks 12 Ukrainian News Sites in Reciprocal Move

Hungary has blocked 12 Ukrainian news resources in response to Ukraine's actions to close foreign websites that spread pro-Russian propaganda.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to Interfax-Ukraine. 

The decision to block Ukrainian portals was announced by the head of the Hungarian Prime Minister's Office, Gergely Gulyás.

He explained that this was a response to Ukraine, having previously blocked several Hungarian news resources.

“Ukraine, which is joining the European Union, has blocked foreign websites, including Hungarian ones, because they dared to write critically about the policy of sanctions against Russians, military support for Ukraine, and the dissolution of the European Union and NATO (!), and they dared to portray them as not very effective organizations,” Gulyás wrote.

According to him, Hungary responded by applying the principle of reciprocity and blocking Ukrainian resources on its territory.

Gulyás called Ukraine's actions an “unjustified attack” and emphasized Hungary's right to a proportionate response.

He also noted that the fragmentation of the EU in the Ukrainian media space could be an argument against Ukraine's membership in the EU.

“If the dissolution of the European Union causes state censorship in Ukraine, then it is time for Ukraine to abandon its intention to join,” said Gergely Gulyás. “With Ukraine's accession, the EU would become even more divided.”

It is worth recalling that earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) blocked 15 websites from Hungary, Romania, Moldova, and Greece that spread fake news about the terrorist activities of Ukrainians and criticized support for Ukraine.

As The Gaze informed earlier, European Council President António Costa is spearheading efforts to push forward Ukraine’s EU accession bid, attempting to bypass Hungary’s persistent opposition ahead of a pivotal summit of EU leaders in Copenhagen this week.